Bat-trap



" w. H'. 00X, or vIRDEN, ILLINOIS.

RAT-TRAP.

Speccation of Letters Patent No. 20,042, dated.A April 27, 1858.

To @ZZ whom it may concern: y

Be it known that I, `WILLIAM H. Cox, of Virden, in the county of Macoupin and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Trap for Catching Bats and other Animals; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and eXact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a vertical section of my improvement, taken in the line w, m, of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the same, taken in the line y, y, of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detached side view of one of the catches.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts'in the several figures.

This invention consists in the employment or use of a sliding boX or case operated by a spring and set or retained by proper catches, a stationary chamber or receptacle, and a bedpiece provided with upright end pieces; the whole being so arranged that by means of a spring, the trap is rendered self-setting, and the animals, as caught, are retained in a proper chamber or receptacle without at all interfering with the proper operation of the trap.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A, represents a bedpiece, having at each end a vertical projection or ledge a, which extends the whole width of the bedpiece. o, Z), are two similar projections or ledges which are attached to the bedpiece parallel with the end pieces a, a.

B, is a case formed of a top piece c, and two side pieces cZ, cZ. This case is fitted on the bedpiece A, and is allowed to slide freely thereon. The length of the case B, is equal to the space between one end-piece a, and the projection Z9, farthest from it, see Fig. 2, and consequently the length of movement of the case is equal to the width between one oft-he end pieces a, and a projection Z). The projections Z), Z), are not quite as long as 'the end pieces a, a; but are sufficiently shorter so that the side pieces CZ, oZ, of case B, may work on the bedpiece A, flush with the ends of the end pieces a, a. The projections Z), are

partitions, and in connection with the side pieces UZ, CZ, of the case B, they form a chamber C, as shown, clearly in Figs. l and 2. Each partition Z2, has an opening e, made in it, each opening having a drop door f, placed over it, at the inner side of the projection; said doors being formed of wires or perforated plates so as to admit light into the chamber C. Each door f, has a spring g, bearing against it to keep it closed.

D, is a crossbar, which is attached tok the two partitions 5, b; and E is a vertical shaft, the lower end of which is stepped in the bedpiece A, the upper end passing through the center of the crossbar D, and having a crossarni F attached to it. To one end of this cross-arm a vertical arbor G, is attached, and to the opposite end a catch H is secured. This catch is formed of a bar Zz, which is pivoted to the arm F, at i; the said bar Zt, having a spring j, bearing against it at one edge and keeping it in line with the arm F; the bar being prevented from being thrown or pressed backward out of line with the arm in consequence of its inner end bearing against an oblique ledge R, on the arm. This will be understood by referring to Fig. 2.

To the lower end of the shaft E, one end of a coil spring G, it attached, the opposite end being secured to the bedpiece A.

H, H, are vertical rods, the lower ends of which have horizontal arms I, I', attached, one to each. The upper ends of the rods H', H, pass through the crossbar D, are bent over at right angles with the vertical parts of the rods, as shown at a, and have each a rod Z, attached, the outer ends of which are connect-ed to springs m, m, one to each.

The arms I, I', pass through slots in the lower parts of the partitions b, Z), and the outer ends of these arms are retained by catches u, a, which are attached to plates 0, 0, which are secured between the endpieces a, a, and the partitions Z9, Z2, see more particularly Fig. 3. To each plate o, o, a vertical bar p, is attached, the lower ends of said bars being secured to the plates by pivots (7. The lower end of each bar p, has a cross head r, formed on it. The bars p, serve the oiiice of triggers as will be hereinafter shown.

The arbor G, passes through a sliding plate J, which is fitted over a slot s, in the top c, of the case B.

The operation is as follows The spring G, is wound up by turning the shaft E, in the proper direction; the catch H, in consequence of being arranged as shown being allowed to pass the parts a of the rods I-I, H. The upper ends of the bars p, are halted.

The spring G, is retained or prevented from unwinding itself, in consequence of the rods I, I, Which are retained by the catches n, n, so that the bent portions a, of the rods H, H, Will hold the Cross arm F. The animal in nibbling the bait on the exposed bar or trigger p, releases its arm I, and the spring Gr', will rotate the shaft E, one half of a revolution, and by this means the case B Will be thrown over the animal; the bent portion a of the rod H', retaining the arm F and preventing its further rotation. The animal thus entrapped, decoyed by the light emitted through the opening e, passes through the drop door f, of the said opening in the adjoining partition into the chamber C, and the opposite trigger Which retains the bar I', is exposed; it being underset forth. l YV. H. COX. Witnesses:

MAHLON Ross, l/VILLIAM VAN NOTE. 

